“Hot for Fireman” by Jennifer Bernard (contemporary, Avon, June 2012, $5.99, 384pp)

Series: Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel

1. “The Fireman Who Loved Me” - Melissa McGuire & Harry Brody
2. “Hot for Fireman” – Katie Dean & Ryan Blake

Summary:
Katie Dean is stuck running her Dad’s bar and hires Ryan Blake as her new bartender, but runs into trouble as she tries to keep the bar afloat and look for a way to torch it at the same time.  How was she supposed to know Ryan is a former firefighter.

“The Girl’s Guide to Man Hunting” by Jessica Clare (erotic, Berkley Heat, May 2012, $15.00, 336pp)

Series: Bluebonnet

1. “The Girl’s Guide to Man Hunting” – Miranda Hill & Dane Croft
2. “The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male” – Beth Ann Williamson & Colt Waggoner (to be released)

Summary:
Once, Miranda felt a little exposed...

Miranda Hill can't believe her eyes--her cocky ex-boyfriend, pro hockey player Dane Croft, is back in Bluebonnet, Texas, after all these years. He ditched her--and their little town--just as some rather shocking photos showed up on the Internet for everyone to see. Miranda wasn't so lucky. Stuck in Bluebonnet and left to fend for herself, she's never really shaken the scandal--or his betrayal. After nine long years, Dane's back, and she has the chance to turn the tables on him...

“Rescue Me” by Rachel Gibson (contemporary, Avon, June 2012, $7.99, 384pp)

Summary:
Mercedes (Sadie) Howell is a successful realtor who returns to her small hometown in Texas to attend her cousin’s wedding.  Seen as a maverick by the proper ladies of town, she hasn’t returned since her high school graduation.  She arrives in town in time to rescue former Navy SEAL Vince Haven whose truck has broken down on his way to Lovett to visit his aunt. Will these two outsiders fit into Lovett, TX or cause a scandal?

Review: (This reviewer gives "Rescue Me" 3 of 5 stars)
This book was good, but while it had its funny moments in many ways it dragged.  Vince and Sadie spend more time apart in the first half of the book than together.  One thing that bothered me were all the current event references, which I believe will date the book quickly, and make this one not something to be picked up and enjoyed time and again.  But all and all a decent read.

“Lucky in Love” by Jill Shalvis (contemporary, Grand Central, May 2012, $7.99, 400pp)

Series: Lucky Harbor

1. “Simply Irresistible” – Maddie & Jax
2. “The Sweetest Thing” – Tara & Ford
3. “Head Over Heels” – Chloe & Sawyer
4. “Lucky in Love” – Mallory & Ty
5. “At Last” – Amy & Matt
6. “Forever and a Day” – Josh & Grace

“Maid for Pleasure” by Lucy Rodgers (erotica, selfpublished, May 2012, $2.99, 26,000 words)

Summary:
Insurance actuary Libby Beckett is the epitome of a successful, independent, modern woman. With her six figure salary, she has a condo overlooking the beach, a BMW, and a closet full of fabulous shoes. So why isn’t she happy? And why do her fantasies always involve whips, bondage, and sexual slavery? Her desires are impossible to explain her buttoned-down accountant boyfriend, which is why when she stumbles across a website for a quasi-dating service for submissive women called Maid for It, she signs up. She’s quickly “matched” to Gavin Huntley, an engineer and inventor possessed of a small fortune and his own private island off the Caribbean coast. After carefully weighing the risks and rewards, as any good actuary should do, Libby breaks it off with her boyfriend and heads to Gavin’s island for what she promises herself will be two weeks to explore her darkest, dirtiest desires. When her time is up, she’ll say her safe word and, as outlined in Maid for Its contract, Gavin will be required to release her.

“The Real Mason” by Julia Devlin (ebook)
In this erotic story (about 99 pages), Anna is stunned when her boyfriend Mason breaks up with her. When she pushes Mason a for reason, he eventually tells her about the fact that he is a Dom and that he can’t handle their vanilla relationship any longer. Anna is in love with Mason though and is willing to try things his way – even if she really has no understanding of what that means. This is a very hot and steamy read. I loved the dynamics of the relationship between  Anna and Mason, especially as they have to work out the new boundaries of their shifting relationship.

“Submission: A Treasury of Women Who Like to Give In” anthology by various authors (ebook)
This anthology was free at Amazon, so I could not pass it up. There are several great erotic stories in this one including Charlotte Stein’s “You Already Know” and Elizabeth Coldwell’s “The Usual Dress Code” which are my favorites. Currently, this one is $0.99 at Amazon. I do have to say that I find the sub-title of the anthology odd. A treasury of women who like to give in? Shouldn’t it be more like “A Treasury of stories about women who like to give in?” I don’t know why the title bothers me, but it does.

“The Penthouse: The Tethered Arms” by Sahara Kelly (ebook)
This story is the final one in a series about some sexual shenanigans going on in an apartment complex. I read this one last which was a mistake. Plus, there is a wacky twist when we find out what happens to the love of Jason's life (Jason is the owner of the complex). Their past is detailed in the story. However, I wasn’t keen on how the whole thing ended.

“Let Me In” by Callie Croix (erotic, Carina, May 2012, $3.99, 87pp)

Summary:
On leave for Thanksgiving, the last thing marine lieutenant Talia Barnett expects to find is Liam Brodie waiting for her at the airport. He’s had a starring role in her fantasies for the past two years, and although she’d love to make them a reality, she has a dark secret that prevents her from taking things further.

A former Marine, Liam’s specialty is planning tactical operations, and that’s just what he plans to do to win Talia. The woman has kept him at arm’s length for too long, and this time he’s finally going to claim her—body and heart.

What begins as comfort quickly turns hot. When Liam shows Talia a hint of the dominant nature inside him, the submissive part of her flares to life. Though she desires him, she’s going back on deployment and doesn’t want to dump all her drama on him. Will he find a way to break through the protective walls around her heart and convince her they have a future that goes far beyond the bedroom?

“The Runaway Countess” by Leigh LaValle (historical, Samhain, March 2012, $6.50, 299pp)

Summary:
Her heart longs for justice, but her body clamors for sin.

Once the darling of high society, Mazie Chetwyn knows firsthand how quickly the rich and powerful turn their backs on the less fortunate. Orphaned, penniless and determined to defy their ruthless whims, she joins forces with a local highwayman who steals from the rich to give to the poor.

Then the pawn broker snitches, and Mazie is captured by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. A man who is far too handsome, far too observant…and surely as corrupt as his father once was.

“Wicked Burn” by Beth Kery (erotic, Berkley, reprinted May 2012, $7.99, 336pp)

Summary:
He wanted all of her…

Vic Savian knows what he wants when he sees it. And what he wants is his sexy neighbor, Niall Chandler. So when he sees her in the hallway of their building being harassed by an aggressive suitor, Vic makes his move—and finds himself greatly rewarded…

“Make Me” by Charlotte Stein (erotic, Mischief, May 2012, $3.99, 120pp)

Summary:
An intense ménage leaves their friendship in tatters, but now, ten years later, things don’t seem quite as forbidden. Two guys, one girl … all possibilities. Maisie had no idea her best friends could be so kinky. But now, ten years after the most intense sexual encounter of her life, she’s about to discover just how sexually flexible they can be. Forced to face Brandon and Tyler, Maisie comes up against something she doesn’t expect: the intensity of her own desires for things best left in the past. But once Brandon’s confessed to her just how persuasive Tyler can be when it comes to kinky encounters, Maisie finds that some things can never be buried. She wants them both, and she’s no longer afraid to admit it…